Channahon, IL     The Judson University Men's and Women's Cross Country Teams Began the 2022 season with impressive performances at the St. Francis Invitational as each program finished fourth overall in their respective standings. This race featured strong opponents from multiple classes in the greater Chicagoland area.

The men ran well as they did a good job of pack running. Kyle Braund led the way with a huge third mile to be the first Eagles finisher on Friday, finishing 23^rd overall with a total time of 16:40.0 in the men's 5k. Braund ran 46 seconds faster than last year at this meet. Freshmen Dylan Bledsoe and Chase Porsche both made immediate impacts on the team. Bledsoe was the Eagles second finisher with a 17:12.5 time to place 33^rd overall. Porsche was the Eagles' fifth-best runner with a 42^nd-place time of 17:33.2. Nathaniel Coleman also had a big first race, he was the seventh Eagle finisher as a freshman with a total time of 18:16.6 to finish 58^th overall. Gage Fox (36^th place, 17:23.6) and Juan Villagomez (41^st 17:31.2) rounded out our top five.

"I was really happy with how our men ran today," said Head Coach Cam Knudsen. "There may be a long way to go, but this was a very promising start."

On the women's side, freshman Ella Richter led the way with a 20:00.6 5K time to finish 22^nd overall.  Eva Serrato (35^th, 21:31.9) and Beth Rodriguez (44^th, 22:32.3) were the Eagles second and third-best finishers Mckinze Kearfott had a terrific race considering this was her first-ever cross country performance. She finished 48^th overall with a total time of 22:50.9. The Eagles also were excited to see Grace Garcia back on the course at 100% after missing much of the 2021 season with injuries. She had a 23:08.5 time to place 50^th overall.

"The Women also ran tough. The goal today was to get out well and they did just that. When the fitness gets there, they will be a force. [Richter] is going to have a very good year for us and this is just the beginning. She finished next to some very fast women, I'm excited to see how her season progresses."

Both teams return to the course next Saturday at the Aurora invite.